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Salamanders of Tennessee, Photo: Suzanne Collins, CNAH Photo: Brad Glorioso

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Salamanders of Tennessee, Photo: Suzanne Collins, CNAH Photo: Brad Glorioso A few species of salamanders are listed in Tennessee on the Threatened and Endangered Species List. The Tennessee cave salamander is listed as “Threatened.” The streamside, hellbender, seepage, Black Mountain dusky, pygmy, Junaluska, four-toed, Weller’s and Wehrle’s salamander are all listed as “In Need of Management.” These are only a few of the Salamandersmany salamander species we have in Tennessee, but it would be a shame to lose even one of these unique and remarkable creatures. What are some of the major challenges facing salamanders today? As more and more people use more resources and require more places to live, habitat destruction and modification are occurring at an alarming rate and are the greatest threats facing salamanders. Another major problem salamanders face is habitat fragmentation; salamanders are unable to move freely be- THREE-TOED AMPHIUMA HELLBENDER tween populations or even reach their breeding ponds because of highways and other construc- of Tennessee Amphiuma tridactylum Cryptobranchus alleganiensis tion. Introduced species can negatively affect salamanders by direct predation and competition. Photo: R. D. Bartlett Photo: Suzanne Collins, CNAH In 1995, in recognition of Tennessee’s unique natural heritage, the state legislature designated Chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers are adversely affecting salamanders in the Tennessee cave salamander as our official State Amphibian. You may be wondering, “What many areas around the world. Other factors that may negatively affect salamanders in Tennes- are salamanders and why are they important?” Salamanders are the group of animals, including see are climate change, disease, and illegal collection for the pet trade. It is against the law to newts, sirens and amphiumas, that have smooth, moist, porous skin, lay jelly-like eggs and have remove any native animal from the wild in Tennessee without a permit. a long tail. Often they are mistakenly referred to as “spring lizards,” when in fact they belong to Most Tennessee salamanders have a biphasic life cycle, meaning they spend part of their life in the group of animals known as amphibians. Unlike lizards, a type of reptile, salamanders lack a tadpole-like larval stage then change into the adult stage. Many species of salamanders spend scales on the body, do not have claws on the toes, and cannot survive far from moisture. the adult stage on land in moist habitats near water, then during the breeding period, the adult Salamanders are nocturnal and come out from their hiding places during moist nights to hunt salamanders move into the breeding ponds or streams to court and lay eggs. Some salamanders, for prey. Most species eat large amounts of invertebrates such as worms, insects and snails. A such as the spotted salamander, are well known for their mass migrations in the spring as they few species, like spring and red salamanders, will even eat other salamanders. Salamanders are move from their forest habitat to their breeding ponds. equally important as food for many other animals, such as raccoons, opossums, bears, mink, river otter, frogs and snakes. In some places they are the most abundant vertebrate animals in Find more information about salamanders at: the forest. They are also important as biological indicators as their porous skin is sensitive to Atlas of Amphibians in Tennessee, www.apsu.edu/amatlas MUDPUPPY LESSER SIREN environmental toxins. Since many live in both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, scientists use them Center for North American Herpetology, www.cnah.org Necturus maculosus Siren intermedia to monitor for problems in the environment. The Salamanders of Tennessee, www.tennessee.gov/twra/tamp/salamanders.htm Photo: Suzanne Collins, CNAH Photo: Brad Glorioso SMALL-MOUTHED SALAMANDER SPOTTED SALAMANDER MARBLED SALAMANDER MOLE SALAMANDER EASTERN NEWT Ambystoma texanum Ambystoma maculatum Ambystoma opacum Ambystoma talpoideum Eft Notophthalmus viridescens Adult Photo: Brian Miller Photo: John Copeland Photo: John Copeland Photo: T. Hibbitts Photo: Brad Glorioso Photo: Brad Glorioso Salamanders require ponds that have no fish in them because fish eat amphibians! Vernal pools and semi-permanent to permanent ponds are all favorable breeding habitat. Most salamanders lay their eggs and then depart. A few species like the green salamander and marbled salamander stay and help protect their eggs from small predators and fungus. Some species, like the pygmy salamander and seepage salamander, skip the larval stage and the eggs hatch into perfect miniatures of the adults. TIGER SALAMANDER Tennessee’s amphibian diversity is the 4th highest in the SOUTHERN RED-BACKED SALAMANDER NORTHERN SLIMY SALAMANDER Ambystoma tigrinum nation. Neighboring states of North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia rank 1st, Striped morph Plethodon serratus Lead morph Plethodon glutinosus Photo: Brad Glorioso 2nd and 3rd. Photo: Suzanne Collins, CNAH Photo: T. Hibbitts Photo: Brad Glorioso SEEPAGE SALAMANDER NORTHERN DUSKY SALAMANDER SANTEETLAH DUSKY SALAMANDER GREEN SALAMANDER TELLICO SALAMANDER CUMBERLAND PLATEAU SALAMANDER Desmognathus aeneus Desmognathus fuscus Desmognathus santeetlah Aneides aeneus Plethodon aureolus Plethodon kentucki Photo: Stephen G. Tilley Photo: T. Hibbitts Photo: Stephen G. Tilley Photo: Robert Wayne Van Devender Photo: Suzanne Collins, CNAH Photo: Suzanne Collins, CNAH IMITATOR SALAMANDER BLUE RIDGE DUSKY SALAMANDER OCOEE SALAMANDER NORTHERN ZIGZAG SALAMANDER SOUTHERN RAVINE SALAMANDER Desmognathus imitator Desmognathus orestes Desmognathus ocoee Lead morph Plethodon dorsalis Striped morph Plethodon richmondi Photo: T. Hibbitts Photo: Robert Wayne Van Devender Photo: Stephen G. Tilley Photo: M. L. Niemiller Photo: Brad Glorioso Photo: Robert Wayne Van Devender SEAL SALAMANDER BLACK-BELLIED SALAMANDER BLACK MOUNTAIN SALAMANDER Jordan’s SALAMANDER NORTHERN GRAY-CHEEKED RED-LEGGED SALAMANDER Desmognathus monticola Desmognathus quadramaculatus Desmognathus welteri Plethodon jordani SALAMANDER Plethodon shermani Photo: T. Hibbitts Photo: Brad Glorioso Photo: Stephen G. Tilley Photo: T. Hibbitts Plethodon montanus Photo: Stephen G. Tilley Photo: T. Hibbitts Tennessee is well known throughout the scientific commu- nity as a particularly hot spot for salamanders. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has earned the title of “Salamander Capital of the World.” PYGMY SALAMANDER SHOVEL-NOSED SALAMANDER YONAHLOSSEE SALAMANDER Weller’s SALAMANDER WEHrle’s SALAMANDER Desmognathus wrighti Desmognathus marmoratus Plethodon yonahlossee Plethodon welleri Plethodon wehrlei Photo: T. Hibbitts Photo: Stephen G. Tilley Photo: T. Hibbitts Photo: Robert Wayne Van Devender Photo: Stephen G. Tilley FOUR-TOED SALAMANDER LONG-TAILED SALAMANDER CAVE SALAMANDER TENNESSEE CAVE SALAMANDER THREE-LINED SALAMANDER JUNALUSKA SALAMANDER Hemidactylium scutatum Eurycea longicauda Eurycea lucifuga Gyrinophilus palleucus Eurycea guttolineata Eurycea junaluska Photo: Bob English, LEAPS Photo: M. L. Niemiller Photo: M. L. Niemiller Photo: M. L. Niemiller Photo: John White Photo: Stephen G. Tilley Funding for this project was provided by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee Dept. of Environment and Conservation and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Produced by Lisa Powers, Froghaven Farm and Patricia Miller, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Design by Raleigh Holtam, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Lisa Powers, Froghaven Farm SOUTHERN TWO-LINED SALAMANDER BLUE RIDGE TWO-LINED SALAMANDER SPRING SALAMANDER MUD SALAMANDER RED SALAMANDER Eurycea cirrigera Eurycea wilderae Gyrinophilus porhpyriticus Pseudotriton montanus Pseudotriton ruber Photo: T. Hibbitts Photo: T. Hibbitts Photo: T. Hibbitts Photo: Stephen G. Tilley Photo: Brad Glorioso The TWRA is an equal opportunity/equal access government Cooperators in organization. For information, call (615) 781-6594. printing this Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Authorization No. poster were: 328830, 10,000 copies, April, 2008. This public document was promulgated at a cost of $.50 per copy. THREE-TOED AMPHIUMA (W) NORTHERN DUSKY SALAMANDER (W, M, E) WELLER’S SALAMANDER (E) Amphiuma tridactylum Desmognathus fuscus Plethodon welleri The three-toed amphiuma, sometimes referred to as a Congo eel, is a large aquatic salamander that lives in SANTEETLAH DUSKY SALAMANDER (E) Weller’s salamander is a small species (6.4-9.2 cm) that is found only in the high elevations of northeastern semi-permanent to permanent bodies of water with abundant vegetation. Drainage ditches, sloughs, backwaters Desmognathus santeetlah Tennessee. It has a black dorsum with large brassy to coppery striations or blotches that give it a metallic look. and swamps are all favorite habitat. Adults are bi-colored, with a black, slate or brownish back and a lighter SPOTTED DUSKY SALAMANDER (W, M) (not pictured) The underbelly is dark with fine light mottling. This salamander has a strong association with the spruce-fir gray belly. The four limbs are extremely thin and elongated and each foot has three toes. The tail is laterally Desmognathus conanti forests of the southern Appalachians. It is currently listed in Tennessee as “In Need of Management.” compressed to aid in swimming. There are no external gills. The three-toed amphiuma, our longest salamander, averages from 46-106 cm. Amphiumas feed upon crayfish, earthworms, fish, terrestrial and aquatic insects, These three closely related dusky salamander species are best distinguished by their ranges. The Santeetlah dusky WEHRLE’S SALAMANDER
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